TRIBUTE: The cultist-turned-pastor who gave his life for impoverished northern children

“All my 400 children in the school will not understand but tie their shoes lace and gently rub their hairs. Tell them Papa Joshua has been called up.” These were the closing words of Henry Ayanfe, a follower of the late Joshua Adah, in an emotional tribute.

Rev. Adah and his many children

In this rat race called life, very few people break out of the race and dare to be different; they dare to live their lives for others rather than themselves; they dare pay any price to see humanity attain its prize. Reverend Joshua Adah was one of those breakouts who lived their lives to better humanity.

Adah graduated from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria. Prior graduation, he was reported to have been in a cult, before becoming born again in his final year. He had extra year in school and then began to preach in the same campus where he was a cultist.

Upon graduation, he was posted to Taraba state in 2002 for his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme. He served as the drama director of Nigeria Christian Corpers Fellowship (NCCF), where he met his wife.

Rev Adah’s Family

While in Taraba, Adah saw the challenges children in that region of the country and decided to stay behind after his service year to help them live a better life.

Adah’s makeshift classsroom and studnts

Damilola Abraham, a corps member in Taraba state as at 2006/2007 who encountered and worked with the revered Reverend, spoke with TheCable on the inspiring life of Adah.

“He started a mission school free of charge and in a short time had about 400 pupils from many villages around where he was staying,” he said.

Rev Adah’s foster children eating

“Many of these pupils are boarders so he had to feed them, clothe them, housed them and at the same time disciple them.”

Abraham, who re-visited Adah in 2009, said the missionary had to engage in farming in order to cater to the needs of the children. He would later leave Jalingo city to such villages as Kona, Murkuni among others, just to be closer to the vulnerable.

Adah preparing to cross the river en route Abare

“He had to engage in farming so as to be able to care for them. He had Christian corps members helping out in the school,” Abraham said.

“I visited him in the village in 2009 and did not recover from that experience.”

Rev Adah’s home called Channel O for its shape

Despite his sacrificial life for the people of the north, he was also killed by the north in a rather mysterious way.

Many who paid him tribute said he was killed by Fulani herdsmen who are now known for their violent acts in northern Nigeria, while others said he was killed by the Boko Haram sect.

Dapo Azeez, Adah’s associate pastor, also spoke with TheCable.

“He was travelling; he was actually coming to Jalingo from Kogi state, along the road, the fan belt of his car cut and he got to a mechanic to fix it,” Azeez said.

“As he proceeded, at a further distance, his car engine knocked. He couldn’t move on, so he called his mechanic from Jalingo to come and meet him at that point.

“The mechanic came; he gave the mechanic money to go get a towing vehicle. When the mechanic came back with the towing vehicle, he was not found at the spot where he left him, so the mechanic towed the vehicle away from the place and came back to look for him.

“When he was not found at the expected scene, the mechanic reached out to the police, who could not save Adah but managed to find his corpse. The mechanic launched a report at the nearest police station, and a police patrol team combed the area, eventually finding his corpse inside a bush.”

Rev Adah Family at Success’s birthday

Adah’s death has raised questions on the fate of his “children”, the 307 orphans and vulnerable children whose future he lived for. But the associate party has expressed determination to continue with his legacy.

“We are a faith-based ministry and we believe in God’s help and support for the children. We trust God to help us raise a kind of endowment fund for the children, the ministry and the family of the deceased so they can continue their lives,” it said.

“The children and the staff are still there. I am a full time missionary and I have been there for close to six years now. We hope to continue by God’s Grace, making sure that the vision does not die.”

Friends and family of the deceased and those who heard of his works in his death continue showering encomiums on him, paying their last respects.

Adah died on January 24, less than two weeks after his 40th birthday.

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Comments

I am heartbroken. I believe I once saw your story on a CBN broadcast. I was so moved by your sacrifice of love. I am comforted by the knowledge that you spent your life in the vineyard of the Father. Weldone good & faithful servant. Enjoy your rest at the right hand of the Father. I pray your life will continue to inspire us to do as you did & even more. May our God continue to defend & comfort your wife & all your lovely children. You are a blessing man of God. See you soon.

I knew Rev when I served in Jalingo 3 years ago.He was such a great man with a humble heart.He spoke with joy and enthusiasm and was never moved by the seeming difficulties of specific situations.From One missionary outing to rural rugged and crusades,Rev was thesame.What a loss to the world.Rest in Peace Man of God.It will only be wrong for me to miss fellowship with you in heaven.

uhmmmmmm so so painful,thou i dont know him but felt so bad for the family especially the wife and the two little kids,at the same time am so happy for him because,he died doing the work of he that sent him,he left a good and great legacy,thou he is death but the word of God he has established will continue to live forever,matt 24:35,Heaven and earth shall pass away bt my words shall not pass away.

It is highly refreshing to know there are still people in today’s world, who put Jesus firstand then go out of their way to bless others with the love of God. I’m encouraged. I pray that God will strenghten Rev Adah’s wife and associates to keep up the good work, to keep shining the light in the face of intimidating darkness. It is well

Aaaah!!! its painful, BUT u fought a good fight, reached ur GOAL( @ d point of ur death) and left a LEGACY with us. those who killed u , only transfered u to ur rest n PASSED ON the batton to us all. REST IN PEACE WITH GOD.

Y is it that good pple do not last?
Rev. Adah, even though I may never have met u, ur hand work left an indellible mark.
U may ve gone but the legacies u left behind lives on.
Rest in peace of the Lord.

Reading about this selfless christ-like young man brought tears to my eyes. Here was a young man bold enough to do what most of us christains should be doing but we shy away from our responsibilities and calling and rather ‘conveniently’ ‘serve’ God in our own terms. May i find the boldness to be a servant of God and embark on the liberation of mankind from every captivity. Rev. Adah continue to rest in the bosom of our Lord and saviour, Jesus Christ. How can we reach out in goods and gifts to his 307 children?

Though I may not have met you in persons. But your life and services to humanity was a great one continue to rest in d bossom of our lord Jesus Christ. Rest in peace great servant of God and may your good work continue to speak for you. And may the lord strengthen your family. Amen

Oh my God! Why oh why? Oh God am so sorry but such people deserves a supernatural intervention during the attack. If for nothing else nut just the work but thanks God, cus He knows better. Rev. Its really been a long time that I shed tears but your story brought tears to my eyes. Yours was indeed that of a general even in life and in death. May the good God uphold your ministry, strengthen the new Barton bearer. comfort your wife, father your children and guide all your 307 adopted children. May God be a strong refuge to your entire family and raise us all, men and women who will not sleep until your dream of giving a better life to each an everyone of your children ( biological and adopted) comes to fruition. Sleep on well God’s general. Heaven will be a beautiful place with accomplishers like you. Halleluyah!

And Satan used whoever to return these children to square one. No way! Rest in peace great soldier of the Lord.
Even as I have seen, those who plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same. Job 4: 8

He made his life count and I can only imagine living a life of sacrifice and that of fulfillment; fulfilling the very mandate of heaven. Food for tot for all of us; what will we greet JESUS with if we are called rgt dis minit? D life he lived is a testimony to us all. May GOD comfort all those he left behind, be consoled GOD will never leave U nor forsake U – HE is ur Ever-present help… Do not lose heart

Rev Joshua Adah…..continue to rest in the bossom of the Lord whom you loved so much. you were one of the encounter that made my service in Taraba state meaningful. May the lord grant Aunty Ngozi and the entire God’s own mission to bear this loss. Rest on God’s army

He was a true Christian missionary. Not those tithe collecting, groovy pastors making a mockery of Christianity with their flamboyant lifestyle living in unbelievable luxury in the name of prosperity. How can you talk of prosperity when missions like Rev Joshua Adah are making enormous sacrifices?

Lord, raise unto us men of like passion, who will dare the devil and take territories for Jesus in Taraba State after General Joshua Adah. May his soul rest with God.
I pray his mantel shall not hang in the air but fall upon us who are still preparing to go to the North east, for the Master’s business amen.

We thank you all for your concern, interest, calls, prayers and words of encouragement. The Lord will reward you. Please do all in your capacity to ensure that what God has started through Rev. Joshua Okpanachi Adah does not suffer. God bless you. By God’s extravagant grace, we will do our best to continue from where this Great General stopped. Thanks. Dapo Azeez, Admin. Office, GOEDM.

Sleep on beloved! May Go grant you eternal rest in HIS bosom & grant your wife & family the fortitude to bear the loss,Amen. May HE strengthen & uphold your family, your partners & raise more noble men like you too continue the work of the Lord, Amen

I wish my end will be glorious and my life shall be for Christ touching all and sundry and when I depart from this wrecked world people may say of me I did my best for the humanity and Him that loves me, Jesus Christ. Sleep on beloved at the blossom of your maker. Adieu! Adieu!!, Adieu!!!, the world missed you dearly.

Well, we are mortal being and we cant question God’s integrity. He knew why He allowed it.by and by we shall know but the most important thing is the spiritual and physical well being of the sheep he left suddenly. My prayer is that this ministry will live on and they will not be scattered in Jesus Name. Pls let the people who are concerned patner with the ministry by regular donation for the upkeep of his family and the entire ministry.how do we reach them so that we offer little
assistance. Do they have website?

Rest in Peace Rev. Adah ! till the trumpet sound and all the dead in Christ shall awake to everlasting life.
God will preserve d vision he gave to Rev. Adah by himself. It will not die.
What a man of God indeed !

This just makes me so angry.Nothing can explain this senseless killing and someone should be investigating the circumstances that led to his death in such a brutal manner. Why should these animals continue to get away with their crimes killing and pillaging individuals and entire communities. What gives these herdsmen so much impunity? This great man is gone and we are all resigned to that fact. It so painful!!!!!!

Amazing inspiration, You are now at rest yet God’s work will continue. Jesus is Lord over all and we know those that kill in the name of religion are still loved by God. So we are comforted and will continue to support the spread of the gospel fo the nations.